Life is Hard
by Pink and Black
Summary: After her father dies, Mallory finds love in one of the most unexpected places. Life becomes hard when she decides to find out what her destiny is while trying to keep as far away from the person she loves. After all, they always go away in the end. R&R!


Life Is Hard

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Disclaimer: I rock, but…I still don't own Harry Potter! Whaaaaaaaaaaa! Um…that's just evil. I mean really, why wouldn't someone just hand over Harry Potter to me for free? I'll never know why… Ps. do you guys think it's possible that I could bring Snape to life? No? How cruel! Now please read on!

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Chapter 1: One Night

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I walked through the halls and out onto the balcony. I leaned against the railing and looked out to the fading sun. I heard footsteps and knew someone was behind me and watching me, but I didn't turn around. I didn't move at all. I just stood there with the slight breeze blowing through my golden-brown hair. When I felt a hand on my shoulder I whipped around and threw it off. I glared at the man standing in front of me. He was tall and had short dirty-blonde hair. I stared into identical light blue eyes to mine. It was my brother, Jeremy.

"Mal," he said with a look of confusion. "Why did you leave the ball?" We always had summer balls, but I never liked them and grew tired of them after the third I had been too.

"I didn't know I had to stay at the ball," I spat. I whipped back around and my flowing black dress swirled around my upper-calves. Jeremy was only one of my four brothers. They had all gone to an all boys' school at Southern and Northern School of Wizardry, but I had gone to Hogwarts. They had all graduated, but I had one more year left. My entire family was pureblooded, but none of us were part of Voldemort's crew, otherwise known as Death Eaters.

"I never said you were supposed to stay there, I just saw you leave and wasn't sure why-"

"I never liked the balls Father held. Now go and hang with someone who likes having you around." I heard him leave before I heard my father come onto the balcony humming one of those jolly tunes of his.

"What's wrong, my dear, I don't think I've ever seen you so upset before," my father said and I looked at him. I felt a tear falling down my cheek, but quickly wiped it away.

"Nothing's wrong, Father," I tried to say in a stable voice, but it cracked.

"People don't cry when there's nothing wrong. Now, tell me what's wrong, Mallory." I looked back to see the last of the sun fading into the distance.

"Everything's wrong. My life is just one thing after another and it seems there's nothing out there for me. Like there's no reason in my life. It's almost as if I just am. I just am and nothing more. My life has no destiny."

"You have a destiny. Everyone has a destiny. You just need to find yours…" My father faded and I looked at him with worry. He collapsed on the ground. I remember waiting outside his room pacing back and forth at St. Munggo's. My four brothers just sat on a bench watching me, but not saying anything. Just then a nurse came out and told us our father had woken up. My four brothers had stood up and were rushing to the door, but the nurse stopped them.

"Your father said he only wants to see Mallory right now," the nurse said and cleared a path for me to get into the room. I ran straight to my father's side. He grasped my hand and he felt cold. I looked down to see the color difference I had never noticed before. His skin was white, but mine was on the tannish side. I looked him in the eyes and I saw them as dull. They didn't have their usual spark they always had.

"Mallory," my father whispered. He took his hand away and I realized the cold wasn't him but a crystal heart on a golden chain. "Take this. It was your mothers. She got it from her mother who got it from her mother. It has been in the family for the longest time and now I want you to have it. Goodbye, Mallory. I love you." Then my father closed his eyes and I knew he was dead. I put the chain around my neck and felt the tears coming. I let them fall as I ran out of the room. My brothers opened their mouths to say something, but I ran from them too. They all ran to my father's hospital bed, but I wasn't sure because I didn't look back.

I ran through the doors and out into the cold, still, night air. I didn't know where I was headed, but I soon figured out my feet were carrying me back home. A home that never was…I knocked on the door of my early childhood before we sold to some wizard 20 years older than me and moved to where we currently lived now. He had been a close friend of a close friend of my father's. I wrapped my arms around my body to try to keep out the cold. It may have been summer, but it was ending and the evenings were becoming colder and colder.

After a few moments of waiting the door finally opened and a tall, muscular, starky man towered over me. He looked me up and down with recognition and I knew him instantly. I never knew we sold to my potions professor at Hogwarts. I doubted he recognized me, however, as no one ever seemed to notice me at school. I was in Gryffindor, it was true, but I never thought I had courage. I couldn't even talk to people I barely knew.

"Professor Snape?" I was amazed that this was the man we had sold the house to. He seemed to notice me, but had to think for a moment as to what my name was. He scowled when he realized I was a Gryffindor.

"Mallory Tucker," Severus sneered. I nodded, showing no fear or weaknesses to the most hated professor at Hogwarts. "Come in." He stepped back and I entered the dark house. It used to be bright and full of light, when my mother was alive, but when she died we moved out. Severus had turned it into a dark, dank, cave-like house that smelled musty and was just as cold as outside. I looked at Severus as he close the door. He was wearing a long-sleeved, dark, reddish-maroon, dress shirt and black, dress pants. It was as if he had just come from a meeting. I don't think I've ever seen him wear any other color, but black. To tell you the truth, he looked good…and handsome…and…I'll stop now.

"Have a seat, make yourself at home," he said motioning to the couch. I was confused as I sat down. Why was he being so kind to me? I remembered I had been crying and that my face was tearstained. He felt bad for me! I wiped my face clean angrily and felt his gaze on me. "Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?"

"Tea would be fine, thank you," I replied and looked around at all the stuff that definitely represented Slytherin. Severus disappeared in the direction of what I remembered to be the kitchen. I stood up and slowly walked towards where my bedroom had been when I stayed here. I wanted to know what had become of it. Opening one of the doors on the wall opposite the front door I peered in. Seeing no one in the hall the door led to I tiptoed down to the door at the very end. Opening that door I found he had made my bedroom into his own. A large king bed with green, silk covers and silver, silk sheets stood against the wall opposite mine. On the wall to my left was an oak dresser and on the wall to my right was a bookcase. The walls were painted a green that looked silver from a certain angle.

I hurried back to the couch and sat down as Severus wake in with a tray. On it was two teacups and a teapot filled with steaming hot tea. He placed it on the coffee table, filled the two cups, handed one to me, and took the second for his own.

"Thank you," I said as he handed the cup to me. All he did was nod.

"What brings you here?" Severus asked and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. I shrugged. I didn't want to tell him my father had died, but he'd find out sooner or later. I decided to let him find out later and made something up in reply.

"I guess I finally missed this place after all these years," I replied and I knew Severus remembered that he had bought the house from my father.

"How's your father doing?"

"He's fine. Why do you ask?" Severus shrugged.

"You seem upset. What's bothering you?"

"My…It's nothing. I'm fine. Really." Severus looked as if he didn't believe me.

"Uh huh, I see. You wouldn't be lying to a professor, now, would you?"

"Why do you care? After all, I am a Gryffindor. What's it to you if I'm upset and there's something bothering me? You don't give a damn about anyone in this world!"

"I…I do care about people, Mallory, so don't ever say that I don't. I lost a lot of close family and friends a long time ago. I cared about them, but I won't let my heart be broken again. I do care about people, Mallory, so don't say I don't give a damn about anyone. Understand?" As he spoke I inched ever so closer to him till I was directly next to him. He tensed up a bit at the closeness, but I didn't care. I realized then I admired Severus, like he was an idol.

"You called me Mallory," I realized that he was using my first name. "Not Ms. Tucker or Tucker or Mal, but Mallory." He raised an eyebrow at me and my lips quirked up into a smile. I pulled my legs up and crisscrossed them so I was comfortable. "Severus, may I call you Severus, why are you using my first name?"

"Why are you using **_my_** first name if you don't want me to use yours?"

"Actually, I don't mind at all." I remembered that that was what broke the thin layer of ice between us. We started laughing, smiling, and talking as if we had been best friends forever. We talked about anything and everything, yet all we talked about was what we liked and our lives. I was careful not to tell him about my father. I remembered us laughing so hard that we ended up crying. We were sitting back to back now and trying to contain our laughter. I had never heard Severus laugh and I decided I liked it. I also liked the fact that we were on first name terms.

"Mallory," Severus said, the first to stop laughing. I felt him turn around and managed to stop laughing myself. "Mallory, turn around." I turned around and kneeled on the couch like Severus was doing. He leaned back on his socked feet and I leaned back on my bare feet. I had taken off my high-heeled, black, stiletto-sandals about an hour before. I glanced at the clock to see it was one in the morning and I had been there for at least eight hours. Severus went up on his knees instead of resting on his feet.

He was taller than me by a lot so I copied what he did and realized he was still taller than me by at least ½ of a foot. He was about 6'1" and I was only 5'7". Severus smiled at me and even his black eyes showed a smile. I smiled back, but I didn't know what he wanted. I opened my mouth to say something, but he stopped me. He stopped me by placing his hands on either side of my face and crashing his lips against mine, all in one movement.

At first I was too surprised to move. After a few moments, however, I gave in and began to kiss back. Severus deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding along my lower lip and then against my teeth. I opened my mouth to allow him access and our tongues danced together like one. We finally pulled away for breath. Severus leaned his forehead against mine as we panted for air. In one night I had fallen in love. My light blue eyes gazed into Severus's black ones. I saw lust, want, desire, and something I had never seen before. I knew my eyes reflected the feelings I saw in Severus's eyes.

Our lips met again, more passionately this time. I smiled against his lips as our eyes never closed, but continuously gazed into the other's. It was my first, beautiful night of passion and desire. What I felt with Severus I had never felt before with anyone else. It made me afraid to love as he had told me that loving someone never did you any good. When you loved someone they'd end up leaving you. I didn't want that. I didn't ever want Severus to leave, but I knew that one day…one day he would.

I awoke the next morning and just laid there a while without opening my eyes. I breathed in the scent of cologne and heard the breathing of the body that held me. I was pressed up close against a warm, muscular, bare body. One arm was thrown loosely over my waist and the other just above my head on the pillow. One of my own arms was under my head and the other over the body and under the arm that was over me. Memories of last night flooded back and I smiled before my eyes fluttered open.

Severus continued to sleep peacefully so I carefully slipped out of bed. I found my dress and one of my shoes under the bed. My other shoe was next to the dresser. My bra was on the ceiling fan and my underwear had been under the dresser. I purposefully dressed loudly, hoping Severus would wake up, but he didn't. I backed out the door and said as loud as I could, "Don't leave, Mallory! Stay a while and have breakfast with me!"

It was hopeless. Severus was still sound asleep. He didn't even move. I sighed and a tear rolled down my cheek as I began to think. I turned and left the house quickly, trying to forget last night and the love I felt. It wasn't worth it. When you love someone they go away in the end. My hand went up to my neck and clasped around the crystal heart as I remembered what my father had said. I began my journey home again as the sun went higher and higher into the sky.

"Everyone has a destiny," I repeated what my father had said before his heart attack. "I just need to find mine. I just need to find my destiny, the one that I do indeed have. I'll take the path of life, no matter how hard it may be. Everyone has a destiny. I just need to find mine."

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Well? What do you think so far? There will be more SS/MT later so enjoy what there is now. Please review and tell me what you think so far because that will indeed be something great for both me and you. The biggest accomplishment you will ever make is reviewing this story and the rest of my stories, if you choose to read them. Thank you for your time, now review! 


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